We were having friends over for a seasonal dinner of Guinness braised corned beef, boxty, and garlic roasted cabbage steaks.
Now, what to do for dessert?
I’d been thinkin’ a Guinness cake would be the perfect ending for the meal, but then Rich got an email from the nice folk at Betty Crocker featuring a chocolate cake made by the (no doubt also) nice blogger at bakedbree.com, made with chocolate pudding and Irish cream liqueur.
Well… we had the bottle o’ Bailleys just sitting there, and I had a dark chocolate cake mix in the pantry. Why not?
INGREDIENTS
Cake Pan Coating:
•1 tbsp flour
•1 tbsp solid shortening
•1 tbsp vegetable oil
Cake:
•1 box SuperMoist® devil’s food cake mix
•1 box (4-serving) chocolate instant pudding
•4 eggs
•1/3 cup vegetable oil
•1 cup Irish cream liqueur
•1 cup sour cream
Irish Cream Frosting:
•1 cup butter, softened
•4 oz cream cheese, softened
•3 cups confectioner’s sugar
•1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
•1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Glaze:
•4 oz bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
•1/2 cup whipping cream
•1/4 cup light corn syrup
•2 teaspoons vanilla
•1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted*
*One of our dinner guests has nut allergies, so I didn’t use any nuts.
Heat oven to 350°.
Combine the cake pan coating ingredients together in a small bowl, then brush on two (9-inch) round cake pans to coat.
In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed for five minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Pour the batter into pans and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; mine were good to go after 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for ten minutes, then turn out of the cake pans and allow to cool completely (note how nicely the cakes pop out when you use the cake pan coating).
Make the Irish cream frosting by whipping the softened butter and cream cheese at medium high speed (I also used the mixer whisk attachment) until light and fluffy.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the confectioner’s sugar gradually – about 1/8 cup at a time.
Beat until well and truly blended, then beat in the Irish cream and vanilla.
Top one of the cake layers with some of the Irish cream frosting, then place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Stash in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make the glaze by placing the chopped bittersweet chocolate to a large ‘wave-safe bowl and then ‘waving for 30 seconds.
Pour the cream over the chocolate, then pop back into the ‘wave for 30 seconds.
Remove and give it a stir.
If the chocolate hasn’t melted enough, return to the ‘wave and repeat, removing and stirring every 30 seconds.
Once the chocolate has melted and been nicely stirred into the now warmed cream, whisk in the corn syrup and vanilla until smooth.
Let rest for ten minutes, then pour over the chilled cake – you can try and make it artfully drizzle over the sides (mine drizzled, just not so artfully) – and sprinkle with the toasted almonds, if you’re using them.
Store the cake in the fridge or (around here this time of year) in a covered container in a cold garage.
Nice cake, but…
I think the liqueur in both the cake and the frosting was a bit too much – mebbe too sweet?
I dunno.
Next time I make this, I’ll either use Irish Whiskey in the cake and the Irish cream in the frosting, or, mebbe make a Rusty Nail Cake by using a decent Scotch Whisky for the cake and Drambuie in the frosting.
Actually, the more I think on it, I know that’s how I’m gonna make this cake, the next time…